I had the…. pleasure?  of listening to the people that live above me squabble last night.  They chose 2am for the main event. Not wanting to be rude, I decided I might as well give them the attention they were obviously after.  (They have to realize although this is a ‘luxury’ apartment, the walls really aren’t that thick and they easily were training in the art of ‘thou who shout’est loudest wins.’)

Ever notice these relationship/domestic arguments always hit the same topics and same scripts?  Agenda Point 4, cheating.  Agenda Point 7, You’re a Crazy B$%ch.  It’s always the same.  One of these days it’ll get Dane Cook’ish with the ‘Are you out of your F’in mind.’  I’ll be there to hear some REAL sh%t drop in the league of you killed JFK, quit hiding the space alien under your bed, or I’m going to tell everyone that you stole my thongs.
  
However, after listening to this scripted break-up scene, I realized culture has managed to sneak in a new topic of argumentation.  I’m noticing more and more domestic fights/issues that bring in MySpace as evidence.  So and so posted this, such and such is higher than me on your top eight, this says you’re single etc. etc.

I ask you this - When will MySpace be a valid member of a jury trial?  Further, when will your Twitter acct., your blog, Digg profile or whatever be no longer a tool of your own self-branding, but evidence used against you?  Can you imagine an accused killer using his Digg voting or something as an alibi?   

You’re not in my top eight,
–D

Was asked this question at my Bachelor & Bachelorettes
Toastmasters meeting yesterday for the ‘Bedroom Topics’ portion.  Essentially, a question/topic is raised, and
a member is randomly chosen to fire off an impromptu speech whereas they should
sound intelligent, organized, collected etc. Ideally, you’re supposed to sound as if you’ve thought about the topic at great
length.   It was my first night in
attendance, and I was chosen to answer the British/American girlfriend question…   Here we go!

* Dana blacks out for a second - kinda like Will Ferrel’s debate in Old School.*

I ended up winning the impromptu speech / ‘Bedroom Topics’
award.  Couldn’t really tell you exactly
what I said, but had the crowd laughing and giving me constant attention as I strolled aound the room.  I was acting on pure instinct, quick-thought and moxie.  (Highlights of my improv speech included my myspace top 8,
pirates and a mud-wrestling contest between my make-believe British/American
girlfriend.)  Somehow I pulled it together, made it valid and won a sexy little award baby!  Plus made a TON of new professional friends/connections.  I’ll easily be back next week to defend my title haha.  

I’ve noticed something about me, I do much better when I don’t
think about stuff and just fire from the hip. 
Whether it’s speeches, projects, life, love, business/whatever - don’t
think, just do it.  Don’t over analyze, just tackle the issue.  Go with your
instincts, don’t think, don’t let emotion or the ‘power of good’ in.  Oh, and don’t be afraid to wow a crowd.  :) 
 
Impromptu Your Face Off,

–D

Most important thing to remember about what you wear:

The guy with the edgy outfit on, who’s not talking and sitting in the corner by himself is a social freak. 

The guy with the edgy outfit on that is talking/socializing with everyone is the man.

A winner will always stand out amongst the rest.  Besides, once people pick up on your social prowess and fun attitude, your edgy outfit only serves as an easier way for new people to approach you. 

Whenever you’re afraid to talk to someone, or not sure what to say to start the conversation - remember this. 

It’s never, EVER what you say to open them..  I’ts how you respond to the response.

As long as your voice is confident, body language strong, and you’ve showered in the last month - the key to keeping their attention and creating a strong networking opportunity is always in your response.   (Most of the time the conversation starter is long forgotten 10 minutes into a good conversation.)

Opening is easy - always having a witty, captivating response is a talent.  So knuckle up chumps, and if you’re still scared - visualize your attacks, er meetings! 

Step over to Noah Kagan’s OKDork.com to see some openers I’ve used…

I propose it’s a way better answer than DontDateHimGirl.com. It’s a brand new site, just launched and it’s called IHateThatGirl.com.

IHateThatGirl is essentially a social networking site where users can submit pages/links containing stories etc. about evil, rotten women… Ex-Girlfriends, Ex-Wives, celebrities, etc. Once a story is submitted, users then vote on how evil/rotten the female subject of the story is. Very similar to Digg.com, however with a slight flavor of revenge and ‘venting.’ Completely harmless, its still fun to read. The webmaster is a personal friend of mine, and I think he’s got a pretty good idea here.. So far, it’s mainly been Paris Hilton bashing, however once it catches on - look out!